Unify

Posted on November 20, 2018 by billtonnis

handshake_cooperate_unity

What if being in right relationship with others was more important than being right?

(Listen to my song “All Are Welcome” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Luke 19:5-7

When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”

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The scripture identifies Zacchaeus as the chief tax collector who was very wealthy.

He would have been despised by the Jews.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus keeps associating with the wrong people?

Why isn’t he shunning such people?

Jesus sees the basic good in everyone because everyone is a child of God.

Jesus actually practices what he preaches: He loves his neighbor; He loves his enemies; He doesn’t scapegoat and demonize anyone.

That doesn’t mean he approves of their behavior.

But he wants to remain in relationship with them if possible.

Zacchaeus had heard of Jesus and there must have been an inkling inside his heart that he needed to check him out.

So, since Zacchaeus was short and couldn’t get to the front of the crowd, he climbed a tree.

Jesus could have given Zacchaeus the cold shoulder when he noticed him peering down from above. It would have served him right…right?

This would have been a form of retributive justice.

But then Zacchaeus may have gone on living the same unjust life.

Jesus was about restorative justice.

So he reached out to the tax collector…not with self-righteous indignation but with nonjudgmental acceptance.

And it was then…after being met with unconditional love…that Zacchaeus vowed to change his ways.

We are called to follow Jesus’ example.

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Listen to the song of the day “All Are Welcome” on the Give Praise and Thanks album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Wholeness

Posted on November 19, 2018 by billtonnis

sun_rays_art_dark

Have faith that God will lead you to exactly what you need.

(Listen to my song “Come to Jesus” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Luke 18:41

Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.”

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A blind beggar was calling out to Jesus to have pity on him.

The crowd told the man to be quiet…but he called out all the more.

And Jesus heard him and asked that he be brought to him.

That is when the exchange in today’s scripture verse occurred.

Note that Jesus does not assume that the blind man wants his eye sight.

He has total respect for the man…and asks him what he wants.

If God was in your presence right now asking you what you want…what would it be?

Well…here’s your chance because God is always present with you!

Now…imagine that this man who was born blind could suddenly see.

What an amazing miracle!

But also consider how this miracle would have drastically changed his life.

Everything would be different now.

How did he respond to this miracle?

The scripture says that the man followed Jesus “giving glory to God.”

A glorious change is also possible for your life.

So call out to Jesus…and expect to receive a miracle.

However, know that your healing may not be exactly what you want…but will be exactly what you need to be whole.

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Listen to the song of the day “Come to Jesus” on the Live to Love album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Be Not Afraid

Posted on November 14, 2018 by billtonnis

valley_sun_clouds

Know that the Love that created the universe…is holding you.

(Listen to my song “Love Will Always Lead You Home” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Psalm 23:4

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

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We all go through our share of tough times.

If you hang around long enough…you may go through a “valley of the shadow of death” or two.

You may have had times that when you look back now…you wonder how you made it through.

I’ve had a time or two of those.

But when I look back now…those times are treasured times.

I feel that a Power greater than myself helped me through.

I hold onto that feeling in faith that this Power is always with me.

It’s a Power that is compassionate and kind to the nth degree.

I do believe that the Power was Love itself.

I have a deep conviction that this Love will never leave me.

So…what is there to fear?

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Listen to the song of the day “Love Will Always Lead You Home” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Look and Listen

Posted on November 13, 2018 by billtonnis

boardwalk_moon_sky

Experience the present moment…or miss life.

(Listen to my song “Listen to Your Heart” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Psalm 37:4

Find your delight in the LORD who will give you your heart’s desire.

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What is your “heart’s desire”?

I’m thinking lots of people can say what their minds’ desires are…but I’m not so sure about their hearts’.

This type of desire would seem to be one that would satisfy a person’s soul yearning.

I think we all have a deep yearning for something that will fill us and make us whole and complete.

Something is missing.

But most of the time, we try to satisfy these primal pangs with material things.

It works for a while…but not long.

Your heart’s desire can only be satisfied by God…or the Highest Form of Love.

To experience this…we must first relinquish our self-centered desires.

In the on-going-process of this letting-go…we begin to uncover our heart’s desire.

How to begin?

By being present to the Divine Presence.

Practice letting go of everything…and simply be.

Peace and contentment can be experienced…right now.

Delight in God’s Presence…and see what happens.

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Listen to the song of the day “Listen to Your Heart” on the Listen to Your Heart album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Glorious

Posted on November 12, 2018 by billtonnis

leaf_veins

Stop and consider the sacredness of everything.

(Listen to my song “How Magnificent, Wondrous and Glorious” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Psalm 24:1

The earth is the LORD’s and all it holds, the world and those who dwell in it.

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The earth is filled with life.

It also sustains life.

It is teeming with creatures and vegetation of every sort.

It is made up of a mind-boggling concoction of forces that somehow work together so that creation flourishes.

Animals seem to take only what they need to survive.

Humans are seemingly the only species that is subject to greed…taking more than we need.

We are called to do better.

We are called to love as God loves…unconditionally.

And we are called to love all of creation…and care for it as our common home.

Who will care for it…if not us?

Spend some time gazing upon a part of God’s magnificent creation.

Allow the awe and wonder of it all to envelope you.

How will you respond?

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Listen to my song “How Magnificent, Wondrous and Glorious” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Be

Posted on November 9, 2018 by billtonnis

leaf_green_blackbackground

Be present to the Divine Presence…now.

(Listen to my song “Breathe On Me” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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1 Corinthians 3:16

Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

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St. Paul tells us of a God who is intimately close…not far off in a distant heaven.

While God is indeed in heaven…God is not bound by time and place.

God is everywhere…and that includes inside you.

God abides in all of creation…and God is still creating.

The universe continues to expand.

New life continues to sprout.

God, or Love (God is love 1 John 4:8), is energizing and animating it all.

The amazing thing is that the “Spirit of God” is dwelling inside you…and everyone else!

Ponder this.

Please…take a few moments (or preferably minutes)…to simply contemplate the wonder of it all.

God is not waiting for you to somehow prove yourself worthy.

God is with you as intimately as the air you breathe…and the blood that courses through your body.

Breathe…

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Listen to my song “Breathe On Me” on the Listen to Your Heart album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Everything Belongs

Posted on November 8, 2018 by billtonnis

Jesus_sheep_on_shoulder

God pursues each of us with a love that never ends.

(Listen to my song “God Is” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Luke 15:4-6

“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’”

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Jesus told a number of stories to depict the character of God.

In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus doesn’t say that if one sheep wanders off that the owner would say, “Forget about that one. He screwed up. He deserves to be lost.”

No!

Jesus shows us the face of a compassionate God who would not be okay with even one person being lost.

Each of us has experienced a time or two (or more!) when we did something that we weren’t proud of.

Take heart in knowing that God isn’t looking to punish you…but to save you.

That’s the difference between retributive justice and restorative justice.

God wants us all to be restored to wholeness and oneness with all.

It’s not about your goodness earning God’s love.

It’s about God’s goodness poured out to us without conditions.

That changes everything.

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Listen to the song of the day “God Is” on the Give Praise and Thanks album by clicking  HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Meaning-FULL Life

Posted on November 7, 2018 by billtonnis

leaf_art_letgo_surrender

To find your true self…you must lose your false self.

(Listen to the song of the day “Glorify You with Me” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Philippians 2:13

For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work.

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When we yearn to do something for the sake of doing good…the Source of that yearning inside us is God.

Sometimes Christians call this the movement of the Holy Spirit.

But to allow this yearning to well-up from the Ground of Being deep in our hearts so that we act on it…we must surrender to it.

We must detach from all the distractions and glittery enticements luring us with the false promise of satisfaction.

We must let go of our ego-generated false selves.

Nothing will satisfy the deep yearning you feel…but God.

Or we could say, nothing but Love…since God is Love (1 John 4:8).

When you are living from this foundation of Love…your desires and your works will bear fruit.

You will be taking part in God’s creative flow.

You will see amazing things happen because you will be living as your true self!

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Listen to the song of the day “Glorify You with Me” on the Give Praise and Thanks album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Pour Me Out

Posted on November 6, 2018 by billtonnis

head_bubbles

Letting go leads to life to the full.

(Listen to my song “Pour Me Out” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Philippians 2:5-7

Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself…

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St. Paul’s advice is that we have the same self-emptying attitude of Christ.

The idea is to stop operating out of your ego which is always wanting to make itself look good and special.

That is a very self-centered way of living.

Instead, St. Paul advises us to let go of those egocentric desires.

Such desires are usually wants and not needs.

When the ego is allowed to fade to the background…the true self is able to emerge.

The paradox is that when you let go of your attachments (those things that you think you must have in order to be you), you are able to discover your genuine self.

Then you can live and bloom from the self-less place of Love.

As Jesus stated, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (John 12:24).

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Listen to the song of the day “Pour Me Out” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

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Contemplative Living

Posted on November 5, 2018 by billtonnis

lake_feet

Give your mind a rest and find peace.

(Listen to the my song “Slow Me Down” on YouTube by clicking HERE)

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Psalm 131:2

I have stilled and quieted my soul, like a weaned child to its mother. Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap, so is my soul within me.

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How often do our minds race…flooding our awareness with non-stop thoughts?

For most people, I’m thinking this is the norm.

I would dare to say that most people are addicted to thinking.

They simply can’t stop their minds from incessantly commenting…sometimes repeating and repeating the same things in an endless loop.

Does that sound familiar? I’ve been there!

The first step in finding relief is the simple awareness that it is happening.

Your mind is a nice tool that is essential for you to be able to navigate this world.

But there is a time for it to take a rest.

Most people would likely be shocked to hear that your mind is not you.

The true you…can actually observe the thoughts as they ramble.

Step back away from them.

Allow them to cease.

Try observing your breathing as you inhale…and as you exhale…again and again.

Just observe.

Then…settle into the silence.

Be at peace.

Start practicing a form of meditation.

I do “Centering Prayer” which is a Christian form of meditation.

I guarantee you that if you make this a regular practice, you will awaken to more peace and happiness…as well as a new sense of purpose.

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Listen to the song of the day “Slow Me Down” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on iTunes by clicking HERE.

Remember…God loves you!

Posted in God, inspiration, progressive Christianity, spirituality, Today's Contemplation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment